Private school students start barbecue business

Monday

Nov 4, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Students at New Hope Christian Academy in Thomasville have applied what they learned in class to create a business selling barbecue.

BY DENEESHA EDWARDSThe Dispatch

THOMASVILLE | Students at a private school have applied what they learned in class to create a business.Their slogan — "Barbecue worth stealing.""It's not very often you see a bunch of high-schoolers doing something like this," said New Hope Christian Academy senior Chase Turner. "It's great. We all get to work together with classmates. It gives a sense of fulfillment."Butch Cassidy Barbecue was created from a marketing class at New Hope. The name stems from the famous outlaw due to the students wanting to have a Western theme.The school formed 16 years ago. It operates with a building for kindergarten through eighth-graders on Pineywood Street and the high school grades on the Mills Home campus of the N.C. Baptist Children's Home in Thomasville with a total of more than 100 students. Zachary Leonard, a senior, said the class of 14 wanted the project to be more than just learning about a business. They wanted to put it into action by deciding to sell barbecue, Leonard said. "It's popular in Lexington. There's not as many (barbecue restaurants) in Thomasville," he said. "We figured we could provide something different. It's going well."For sale are barbecue sandwiches, chicken, ribs, ears of corn and drinks. The students came up with the recipe sauces for the barbecue and chicken. They are the ones running the whole operation.The class tested their skills for the first time in September in Oak Ridge at a breast cancer event where they made $493 in 2 1/2 hours."That was pretty amazing," said 10th-grader Madison Hartzog. "It's been fun. This has brought me closer to my classmates. High-schoolers do not get an opportunity to do something like this."In the past, they have set up on Saturdays in Greensboro and in Thomasville at Hills Farm and Garden Center. They also have plans to be at the Eagle Mart convenience store. The students receive class credit for coming to the events. They are searching for locations to set up. A handful of the students start prepping the food the night before, and some work as much as 10 hours on the days they set up. Students from the art class are also assisting with advertising, flyers and developing T-shirts.The school purchased the grill the students use to cook. Money from the business will be used to pay off the grill, purchase supplies and food, and benefit the school."They're very excited," said Patsy Robertson, creator of the school. "It's good for the school to have an innovative program. They can get business textbooks or actually do it and learn about it."Greg Munning is the teacher for the marketing class. He is the owner of the Taqueria El Azteca Mexican restaurant in Greensboro and has two taco trucks that takes to events. Munning also teaches Spanish at the school."It's going well. It's a chance for them to learn something from actual experience," Munning said. "I like the fact that we're doing something that other high-schoolers are not doing. They're learning first-hand how to start and run a business. They have been able to apply what they're learning in class to the business. How cool is it to say they own a business?"Another 10th-grader, Kolbie Giles, said the legal aspect of the business has been interesting to her. The class had to obtain a business license, apply for a nonprofit status, get a tax ID number to start a bank account and talk with the health department and Thomasville City officials.Everyone has most enjoyed having the extra time to spend with each other. "My favorite part has been hanging out with everybody," Giles said.Having the hands-on experience allows the students to learn and solve the problems that may arise, Leonard said."The whole thing has been a learning experience," he said. "We're learning how to work as a team. It's not as easy as it looks. We're learning how to run a successful business."More information about the business can be found at www.butchcassidybbq.com.Deneesha Edwards can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 213, or at deneesha.edwards@the-dispatch.com.